Week 7: The Living Word

"I'd rather miss the will of God trying than do nothing at all."

It has been way too long since my last post, I'm sorry! Right now I'm in the midst of packing up and preparing for outreach since God was yet again faithful in providing all the needed finances! We leave for Bangkok on Monday so I will definitely post again later on this week and during outreach as well to keep you updated. Christian came to visit me all last week which was such a breath of fresh air for me and I was very sad to see him go this morning but God really used Christian to help renew my strength and bring me so much joy. Because Prayer Week was so heavy I found myself almost forcefully barricading my heart again as to avoid anymore intense and draining personal transformation. Though I was really excited to dive into the next week's curriculum, I put the breaks on in the self-analysis department of my life.

The week after Prayer Week we studied the Living Word (fancy phrase for Bible) taught by my outreach leader, Bryan Hunsberger. Bryan knows more about the Bible than anyone I know and he is only 23. I had a good chunk of questions about the Bible that I never really voiced before because I think I felt like I should have already known all the answers or maybe I was just too embarrassed to ask them for some stupid, prideful reason. Most of my questions were answered this week, but one important thing I learned was that as long as I am living here on this Earth I will never know all the answers and neither will anyone else. What I know for sure is that Jesus is truth and the Bible is just further proof. If you ask for a passion for God's Word He will give it to you. But it's important to be persistent and to ask with a whole heart. We learned that sadly only 60% of believers in America believe the Bible is totally accurate. I dont know about you but that statistic really rocked my world. How can we call ourselves Christians and not trust in the Bible? I will be the first to admit that I have had my doubts about the Bible and it's ability to last thousands of years- especially after 4 years at an ultra-liberal, skeptic, anti-Christian University. But that is why I'm here. I'm seeking God's face with my whole life because I want to know Him. I've been asking God to build my faith and this week He showed me that I can trust Him and His Word. All of my doubts have been shattered because God graciously removed them for me over time as I seek Him relentlessly.

The Bible has been preserved miraculously for thousands of years. It is timeless in the fact that something that was written so incredibly long ago still is applicable to my life today. Bryan took us through the Old Testament, the 10 Commandments, the New Testament, the 400 years of silence between the Old and the New Testament, and we finished with a Jesus story every day. We talked one day about the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23): love, joy, patience, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control, and gentleness. Because we know Jesus, He has sent his Holy Spirit to counsel us through each and every day. Just because we may not feel Him emotionally does not mean He isn't there. He is here in fullness all the time no matter where we go and it takes true faith to actually believe and follow Him. I have seen with my own eyes the work of the Spirit and that is why many of my own doubts have been replaced with faith. We also broke down the 4 gospels: the audience, the writer, and the purpose. Acts, Philippians, James, John, Isaiah. The book Isaiah was written by the prophet Isaiah 650 years before Jesus was born. The probability that Jesus would fulfill all the prophecies that He did, would be like filling the state of Texas with quarters, standing waist deep in them, coloring one blue, and choosing that one quarter!!

God really took this week and used it to expand my knowledge. Even though I didn't apply what I learned to my life right away, I learned so much that I will carry with me forever. Toward the end of the week I was ready to take that barricade back down from around my heart to let God continue his work. "Problems are opportunities for God to work." -Bryan Hunsberger. Problems can either be whined about or they can be a perfect circumstance for God to show Himself. Just depends how you look at it. Anyway, I have to get to bed but I'll be back in a flash this week when I find some time. Thanks for your prayers and all your support back home. I miss home! Bye for now :)